Florida A&M University Will Be Getting a New President in January

After two years on the job, Dr. Fred Gainous was forced out by the school’s Board of Trustees in a meeting this week. The school has long been plagued with problems that are likely to continue.

After a long running feud, the Board of Trustees voted not to renew the contract of President Fred Gainous.

For his part, the soon to be former president is taking it in stride.

“I believe that Florida A&M University is an outstanding institution with great students great faculty and probably more underutilized potential that any university in the state university system.”

Ten deans left under Gainous. The athletic department was millions over budget. He inherited a school that was an administrative nightmare, financial aid checks were always late and the books were a mess. He also got a board chairman who wanted his job.

Most students, like Stacy Anders of Orlando, seem untouched by the change.

“I was here under President Humphries as well as Gainous, so you know I’ve noticed slight changes, you know, I’m just trying to get my education.”

Barney Bishop was one of four Florida A&M trustees that voted not to fire the President.

“I think it’s going to hurt the university for a long time. I had a college president call me and said it’s probably going to take two or three presidents for us to get past all of the problems we have at FAMU.”

Gainous says the school has 70 percent of the money it needs, but his successor has to be strong to survive.

"Do everything you can to establish an environment in which the administration and the president can work unobstructed.”

Unless the board reverses its decision Gainous will become a full tenure professor in January. He could still keep his job as President of the university, but that could happen only if the trustees vote unanimously to reverse their decision in December and the odds of that happening are slim at best.

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